


Dangerous Passage

by Leighann, Singerme



Category: Gunsmoke
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-30 22:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5181431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leighann/pseuds/Leighann, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Singerme/pseuds/Singerme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kitty and Matt take a dangerous trip by train.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kitty sat in the seat beside Matt and looked over at her sleeping giant. They'd been on the train for a day and a half now and he was getting restless. She'd managed to talk him into laying his head back and taking a nap, but she knew it wouldn't last long and he'd soon be up, and probably pacing back out to the platform again, to get some air.

The train, though not as short as some, was still fairly small for a man who hated being confined. Consisting of a locomotive, a fuel car, a passenger car, a sleeping car, a dining car and a baggage car, there wasn't an inch of it, save the locomotive and fuel car, that Matt hadn't patrolled since they'd gotten on board.

The passenger car, they were in, was fairly opulent, with upholstered and cushioned seats, and windows that opened and closed, and a large wood stove at the front, kept constantly going, to keep it warm and comfortable. Well, at least it was to Kitty. Matt, she knew, would've found riding in a saddle all day more to his liking.

But as she leaned back in her plush seat, Kitty smiled thinking of how they came to be on this train instead of the usual bucket of bolts that was typically available.

Kitty and Matt had been resigned to leaving a day later on the regular train to Denver, and enduring the three-day trip on hard bench seats sharing water from Matt's canteen, or whiskey from Kitty's flask, and lunch from a picnic basket they would need to take along.

Once in Denver, they would board another train, most likely worse or at least no better, for the continued trip north to Salt Lake City, Utah. Instead, the ticket agent offered them seats on the Special Express for an extra fee. The Express was going the entire way to Salt Lake City and was comprised with not only the comfortable passenger car, but also a sleeping car and dining car to boot.

Though it did make one or sometimes two short stops to refuel with wood and water, it would still get to Salt Lake faster and imminently more comfortable then the regular trains that traveled there.

Kitty was thrilled at the opportunity to take the express, and though Matt groused about the fare, she insisted on paying for it. She didn't care about spending the extra money, as she knew Matt hated being cooped up on any train, but it couldn't be helped this time. The train was the only way to get to their destination safely, and quickly, and if she did say so herself, luxuriously.

It was practically unheard of to see a sleeping and dining car in these parts. But being able to sleep lying down and actually sit at a table and eat good hot food, all while traveling, was amazing and wonderful. From what the conductor told her, one man who'd boarded in St. Louis, had gone to his sleeping car and hadn't come out for most of the trip. After sleeping in her and Matt's own room the night before, she understood.

Leaning further back in her seat, Kitty absently looked out of the window, thinking of the reason she and Matt were taking the trip.

"Matt, I need you." The letter started. It was from a friend of Matt's, James Hare. James, half Cheyenne and half-white, had been one hundred percent friend to Matt when he'd needed one. Now it was James that needed a friend. He was in jail, being held for murdering the man that had killed his wife. James's infant daughter was now in the care of a local woman who, though kind was of no relation, and should James be hung, would send the child to an orphanage. James wanted Matt to come for his daughter, insisting he was innocent but was worried about a conviction and didn't want his daughter with strangers or at an orphanage.

Matt of course, didn't hesitate to send word that he was on his way. He did hesitate though when Kitty insisted on going with him. "Kitty, I don't know what I'll be walking into up there." Matt protested.

"You'll be walking into a town that's actually tamer than Dodge and trying to clear your friend rather than taking care of his little girl like James wants you to." Kitty pointed out. "And don't even try to deny it." She raised a hand when Matt opened his mouth to argue.

"Alright, yes, I probably will try to clear him. But the lady that's taking care of the baby can continue to do that while I investigate. Besides, James asked for my help, not yours and its winter. Even by that fancy train, it's going to be a cold hard trip, not to mention those mountain passes we have to go through, anything could happen. I think it'd be too dangerous and…"

"Matt." Kitty shook her head. "I am going with you and that is that."

With a smile, she remembered Matt taking a deep breath but keeping his silence as she'd turned for the staircase, and headed upstairs to pack. Matt tried talking Kitty out of it again that night, and yet again the next morning as they headed to the train station. But in the end his attempt at persuading her had no effect.

She knew better than anyone how Matt felt about her safety, but as she closed her eyes and settled back in her seat, she was determined that her safety would be the least of his concerns. Matt was going to need her help, and she was going to give him that, regardless.

The conductor woke them a couple of hours later. "Sorry to disturb you." He leaned down next to Matt, his voice low and his manner secretive. "But you are a law man, right?" He asked a still slightly groggy Matt.

"Uh, yeah. US Marshal." Matt sat up, running a hand over his face and through his hair. "What's wrong?"

Kitty sat up next to Matt and blinked her eyes several times as she leaned forward towards him. "What's going on?"

"Beg your pardon, Ma'am." The conductor, a nervous little man with thinning gray hair, bespectacled gray eyes and a pencil thin mustache, nodded his head at her. "I don't mean to bother you folks, but I was hoping I could perhaps gain your assistance in something, Marshal."

"What?" Matt was fully awake and the sleeping passenger had been replaced by the tough US Marshal in the blink of an eye. "What happened?"

"Well, we have a situation here, Marshal, and I don't rightly know how to remedy it. I was hoping that perhaps you… well, that you might have a solution, seeing as how you're a law man and all."

Matt glanced over at Kitty, seeing the concern on her face. Patting her hand, he turned back to the conductor. "What's the problem?"

"Would you come with me?" The conductor asked in reply. "It might perhaps be better if you saw it."

For a split second, Matt considered the idea of saying no. He wasn't officially on duty, and he didn't want anything to come in between him helping his friend. But instead, he looked over at Kitty as he got to his feet. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Matt," Kitty reached out a hand and Matt quickly took it.

"I know." Matt answered. Kitty was wordlessly expressing that she was worried about him and conveying to him to be careful. And in turn, Matt was assuring Kitty he understood her concern and would indeed be cautious. It was their code, and nothing more needed to be said.

When Matt stood, the conductor turned and hurried back down the aisle followed swiftly by Matt. At the end of the car, the conductor pointed to the next car and whispered. "He's back there, Marshal."

"Who?" Matt asked. The next car was the sleeping section, filled with one small sleeping room after another.

The conductor looked around cautiously before looking back at Matt. "The dead man." He whispered.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

The man's name was Charles Danner, from the papers Matt found in the man's jacket. Danner was a rancher traveling to Salt Lake City on a cattle-buying trip. He had over a thousand dollars in his wallet and a gold ring on his right hand. It was obvious Danner hadn't been murdered in a robbery. Looking the man over carefully, Matt could tell Danner had been stabbed in the heart, and it probably instantly killed him. Of course Matt wasn't a doctor, and it would take a doctor to determine that exactly. "When'd you find him?" Matt asked as he straightened up.

"Just a few minutes before I came and got you." The conductor whose name was Thomas, answered. "I covered him over with a blanket, and then sent for the doctor before I contacted you. I know he's dead, but still, I figured it best if someone looked at him."

Matt looked over at him. "Doctor? You have a doctor on this train?"

"Well, not as a part of the train crew." The little man shrugged. "She's a passenger on board here. I'd have preferred a man, of course. But we didn't exactly have a choice in the matter."

Matt pursed his lips. "Where is this doctor?"

"Well, I don't rightly know. I figured she'd be back here before now." Thomas conspicuously looked around.

"I'm here." A small, thoroughly cultured voice spoke up from behind them. "I'm sorry. I got delayed. I… uh…" She gasped. "Oh, my."

Matt and the conductor exchanged glances. Both men expected her to faint away at the sight of blood and the massive hole in the man's chest. But they were surprised when she moved closer and quickly unbuttoned the man's shirt to examine the wound.

Without speaking to either man, the young woman quickly reached into the doctor's bag she had with her, and extracted a six inch glass wand with small numbers written on the side of it, and inserted it into the wound. Matt said nothing as he watched, realizing what she was doing. The conductor, who had no idea, gasped in shock at her un-lady like behavior.

Pulling the wand out, she consulted the numbers on the side, and then carefully lifted the dead man's hands, and then checked his eyes. "I'd say he's been dead for at least six or seven hours. Single stab wound to the heart." She sighed as she stood back from the man. "Do you have any idea who he is?"

"Salesman." Matt answered. "You, uh, seemed to know what you're doing there."

"I'm a doctor." The brunette young woman answered. "It is part of my job to conduct autopsies, uh..."

"Dillon." Matt answered. "I'm a US Marshal out of Dodge City, Kansas. And you are?"

"Phoebe Stewart, MD." She answered with a smile. "I would shake hands with you but…" she held up her bloody hand from examining the dead man.

"That's alright." Matt nodded. "I appreciate your help, Doctor Stewart."

"Quite alright, Marshal." She smiled at him. "Of course I'm not done, but this is all I can do here. We'll need to move him to the baggage car or someplace where we can lay him flat, and I can do a thorough examination. There isn't enough room in this small corridor and it's a little too exposed, if you know what I mean."

As Matt nodded, Thomas paled. "A what? Why… why, you can't do that. He… he's… I mean… well, you're a…"

"I am a woman." She replied. "But I am also a doctor, and it is in that role that I will be conducting a proper autopsy, or at least as proper as possible given these conditions." She looked up at Matt. "Would you see to having the body moved, Marshal?"

"Yes, ma'am." Matt nodded with a smile, as he watched Phoebe clean her thermometer, placed it back in her bag, and closed the bag.

"Good." She smiled. "I shall need to gather a few things from my bags, and then if the conductor would be so kind to show me where you take this man, I will give you a complete analysis of his wound and cause of death."

As the doctor disappeared down the aisle, the conductor gaped at her then looked back at Matt. "Well, what do you think about that?"

"I think we'd better get this man to the baggage car." Matt answered as he reached down to pick up the body.

"I'll get some help." The conductor volunteered.

"No, wait a minute." Matt stopped him. "I think for right now, the fewer people that know about this, the better. You just go ahead of me and hold the doors. I'll haul him back there, and then you can go and get the doctor. Make sure you tell the Doctor to keep quiet about this as well."

"Alright, Marshal." Thomas sighed. "If you say so."

After following Thomas to the baggage car and laying his grizzly burden on the floor, Matt again cautioned him to keep the murder quiet, and assuring Thomas he'd be back in a few minutes. Parting ways with Thomas, Matt quickly made his way back to where Kitty was pensively waiting.

"Matt!?" Kitty was alarmed when he appeared with blood on his shirt. "What happened?"

"It's alright, Kitty." He was quick to reassure her. "It's not my blood. But I do need to change my shirt before anyone else sees it."

"Well, whose blood is it?' She asked. "What's this all about?"

Matt leaned in close, glancing about to make sure no one was near. "There was a murder on board." He whispered. "I don't have too many details other than the man's name. But I'm going to take charge of the body and the investigation until we reach Salt Lake City since there's no other law on board."

"Why are you whispering?" Kitty took a look around as Matt had.

"Because." Matt answered. "This train hasn't stopped since we got on board, which means whoever murdered that man is still here."

When he saw Kitty blanch at the idea, Matt reached out and took her hand. "Don't worry. I doubt you or anyone else is in danger." With an encouraging smile, Matt reached down and grabbed his carpetbag and pulled out a shirt. "Just stay here and wait for me. I'll be back as soon as I talk to the doctor."

"Doctor?" She questioned. "There's a doctor on board?"

"Yeah." Matt nodded, "And she's probably already back there with the body. I've got to get back now. I'll see ya later."

Kitty started to nod until it dawned on her what Matt had said. The doctor was a she. Though not jealous at the thought of Matt working with a woman, she was, however, curious. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to check it out; Kitty got to her feet, grabbed her reticule and followed along.

When Matt reached the baggage car, he stopped outside of the closed door and softly tapped.

The man stood and watched as the tall man headed down the aisle towards the baggage car. He knew the body had been found, and the tall cowboy and small doctor had been summoned. He also knew the tall cowboy had taken the dead man to the baggage car where the doctor was probably now conducting some sort of crude autopsy. What he wondered now was what, if anything, the doctor may have found that might concern him. Deciding there was nothing she probably could find, he turned away and left. He planned to keep an eye on the tall cowboy and the doctor, as well as the redhead the big man was apparently traveling with, but he wasn't too worried about them at the moment. Right now, the man had something else he needed to attend to.

When Matt reached the baggage car, he stopped outside of the closed door and softly tapped.

"Come in." A melodious voice called.

Matt walked in to find the doctor cleaning her hands with water from a bucket, and drying them on a less then sanitary looking towel. The dead man was lying uncovered on the floor. "You done?" Matt asked as he unbuttoned his bloodstained shirt and turned his back to change into his clean shirt.

Dr. Stewart nodded. "Yes. I was right about the cause of death. He was stabbed through the heart. And I'm fairly certain he was murdered about 6 or 7 hours ago as I said." Phoebe stated as she watched Matt change his shirt. "However, I am certain this man is not Charles Danner."

Matt turned around as he finished buttoning up his clean shirt and frowned. "What do you mean? Do you know Danner?"

"No." Dr. Stewart shook her head, turning brown eyes on Matt. "I know no one by that name. But this man's hands are soft. If he were a rancher, as his papers say, he would have calluses on his hand. Wouldn't he? "

Matt pursed his lips. "Yeah, yeah he would. But if he's not Danner, then I wonder who he was."

"Richard Stephens." Kitty said from the door. "I knew him in New Orleans."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Matt looked curiously at Kitty standing behind him, her eyes resting on the dead man. "You know him?" Matt asked, trying not to show either woman how that bothered him.

Kitty nodded. "When I worked at Julie's place." She answered. "He was a gambler that came in about every night when he was in town. Tried…" She stopped, hating the return of memories she'd hoped were long gone, and realizing the attractive female doctor was looking at her rather oddly.

Matt realized it too and knew Dr. Stewart would most likely not understand, and if she did, she'd most likely look down on Kitty for a past she'd had no control over. "You sure he's Richards?" He asked to redirect things.

Kitty nodded. "Yeah." Her face told him more than her words, and Matt knew that there was a reason she remembered the dead man so well. But it wasn't a reason that the doctor needed to know about.

"Alright, well, we've about done all we can for right now." Matt looked back down at the man he now knew was Richards and then at each of the women. "We'll be pulling into the next fueling station tomorrow. I'll send a wire from there to the authorities in Salt Lake to meet us at the station. We'll turn this matter over to the law when we get there, and Doctor, you'll need to give a full report of your findings."

"Certainly." Phoebe nodded as she pulled off the large man's shirt she had donned for her work and reached down for her bag. Looking down at the shirt she sighed thoughtfully. "I borrowed this from the conductor. I don't suppose he'll want it back now." Suddenly realizing she was basically thinking out loud, Phoebe looked at the Marshal and the beautiful red head. "I'm sorry. I shall return to my seat now, but should you need me for anything else, please let me know."

"Yes, Ma'am." Matt tipped his hat to her as Phoebe smiled at Kitty and then left the baggage car. Taking Kitty gently by the arm, Matt pulled her to him and away from the corpse. "Let me cover him up then I'll take you back to our seats."

Kitty nodded and moved closer to the door. Though the sight of a dead man wasn't a new one for the saloon owner, the sight of this particular dead man was disturbing, and she didn't want to be any closer to Richards than she had to be.

Pulling a tarp off of some nearby crates, Matt hastily covered Richards' body and then turned to Kitty. "Come on, let's go." After leaving the baggage car, Matt again took Kitty's arm as they walked. "You okay?" He asked quietly.

Kitty flashed a grateful smile with a nod. "I'm okay. It's just seeing him…" She dropped her head. "I had hoped I'd never see him again."

"You want to tell me about it?"

Kitty raised her eyes to his again, seeing the love, concern, and understanding that she knew would be there. "Maybe later. Not right now."

"You tell me when." He answered as they reached their seats.

Kitty smiled up at him again, thankful that he wasn't pressing her to share a painful part of her past until she was ready. Reaching up, she pecked him on the cheek and started to tell him that, when suddenly the train lurched forward and then back, knocking her back into Matt's chest.

Gripping the seats with one hand, Matt had just managed to grab Kitty's arm when the train lurched again and then came to a violent stop, knocking both Matt and Kitty into the floor. Though the sudden event was jarring, neither one was seriously hurt as Matt and Kitty quickly got back up on their feet.

"Are you alright?" Matt anxiously asked Kitty as he helped her up.

Kitty nodded, brushing at her clothes. "I'm okay. What about you?"

Matt carefully ran his hands over his right side where he'd hit the seats. His ribs were tender but he knew they weren't broken and doubted any were cracked. "Yeah." He nodded. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" Kitty wondered. "Why'd we stop?"

"I don't know." Matt answered. "But I'm going to find out. You sure you're okay?"

Kitty nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." Then stay here. I'll go find the conductor and see what happened. I'll be back in a little bit." Matt started to turn away, when a thought struck him and he turned back. "You still carry that derringer with you?"

"Yes," Kitty answered. "Why?"

"Keep it close until I get back." He leaned in near her. "There's still a murderer on board this train and I'd like to know that Richards back there is his only victim."

Swallowing hard, Kitty nodded and reached for her reticule. "I'll be waiting here." She held up her handbag. "With the gun."

Matt grinned at her before he turned away again and headed up the aisle. However, before he'd gotten too far, the conductor hustled down towards him.

"Oh, Marshal. Thank God. I need your help." Thomas gasped, when he reached Matt.

"Why?" Matt asked as he grabbed the man's lapels to steady him. "What happened? Why'd we stop?"

"I don't know." The conductor answered. "Probably snow on the tracks or something. But that's not the real problem."

Matt frowned and glanced back at Kitty, noticing she'd come up beside him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the fact that we stopped is not the real problem." Thomas answered in a low voice and a nervous glance around at the other passengers, who were coming out of their seats as a result of the train's abrupt halt. "The real problem is that there's been another murder." The conductor whispered.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh, Marshal. Thank God. I need your help." Thomas, the conductor gasped, when he reached him.

"Why?" Matt asked as he grabbed the man's lapels to steady him. "What happened? Why'd we stop?"

"I don't know." The conductor answered. "Probably snow on the tracks or something. But that's not the real problem."

Matt frowned and glanced back at Kitty, noticing she'd come up beside him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that's not the real problem." He answered in a low voice and nervous glance around at the other passengers, who were coming out of their seats as a result of the train's abrupt halt. "The real problem is that there's been another murder." He whispered.

Matt released him and stood straighter, a frown lining his handsome face. "Where?"

"At the front of the car." Thomas stopped to catch his breath. "He… he was so still. I… I stopped to ask him… if he was all right but when I touched his arm… He… he was dead."

"Kitty, stay here." Matt threw over his shoulder as he started forward.

But Kitty shook her head and followed him. "Not on your life, Cowboy."

Matt didn't take the time to argue. Instead he pulled Kitty to his side and headed on down the aisle. The man was sitting rigidly in the first seat in front of the back door, his head against the window. His eyes were still open and his mouth slightly ajar.

"I was coming to find you when the train stopped." Thomas stopped and looked around. "The, uh, other passengers don't know about this Marshal. I would appreciate it if they don't find out anytime soon. This train can be awfully small with a bunch of angry and frightened people on board."

Matt understood and agreed with him. People were coming out of their seats and moving towards them in order to find out from the conductor what had stopped the train. Should the passengers discover that, not one but two murders had occurred on board, there could a panic among them. That was something Matt didn't want.

Looking over at Kitty, Matt formed a plan. "Kitty, see if you can talk to the other passengers. Get them calmed down somehow. Tell them whatever you need to, to get them back to their seats. Thomas and I are going to assist this slightly injured man back to the sleeping car to lay down."

Kitty nodded quickly. "Alright, Matt." She whispered as she turned towards the advancing passengers and called out in her best bar room voice. "Folks, folks, please. Calm down." Raising her hands, she purposefully stepped into the middle of the aisle to block the way, giving Matt and Thomas room to move. "I've just been speaking to the conductor. He's assured me that there's nothing to worry about."

"What happened to that man?" A woman pointed at Matt and Thomas as they hauled the dead man to his feet and began to pull him down the aisle behind her.

"He bumped his head when the train stopped so suddenly." Kitty answered quickly. "They are taking him back to the sleeping car to lay down a bit."

"Why'd we stop?" An older man, with a grizzled face and long gray hair demanded. "What's going on here?"

"The conductor thinks there may just be some snow blocking the way." She answered. "They've already got some people out checking on it and should have us on our way before long. Now, please. Everyone. Please just take your seats and be patient. Everything will be fine."

"Who are you?" A gray haired woman with a hawk shaped nose and small brown eyes demanded. "What makes you an authority around here?"

Kitty reined in her irritation, knowing she had to get these people calmed down and quickly. "I am simply a passenger, like you are." She answered evenly. "But as the conductor is obviously busy, he asked me to inform you of what's happened and have you return to your seats until he can come back. Now he's told me that there's nothing to worry about and I believe that."

"Yeah, well I don't." The old woman sniped. "Now, I want to know what's really going on here."

"It's just like the lady says." Thomas spoke up from behind her. He'd just come back when he heard the questions. "There is some sort of obstruction on the rails that we are currently working to clear. Now until we get that done, I ask you all to go back to your seats and relax."

Though the passengers grumbled, most of them finally began to head back to their seats as Kitty slipped out the door, through the sleeping car, and dining car, and finally into the baggage car. Matt was standing just inside looking down at the second body as Doctor Stewart knelt over it, gingerly examining the corpse.

"Well?" Kitty whispered to Matt as she moved to his side. "Was this one killed like the other one?"

"Yes and no." The doctor answered for him as she got back to her feet. "He was stabbed through the heart like the other one, only the knife went in through his back instead of his chest."

"His back?" Matt frowned.

"Um hum." Phoebe nodded. "I found a tiny piece of leather in his wound which would indicate that the killer stuck the knife through the seat and then into this man."

"That'd have to be an awfully long knife." Kitty surmised.

"Yes it would." Dr. Stewart answered. "You are the Marshal's 'friend'?" She subtly emphasized the word as she not so subtly nodded at Matt.

"Uh, sorry." Matt spoke up. "This is Miss Kitty Russell." He gently placed his hand at her back. "Kitty, this is Dr. Phoebe Stewart, MD.

"Nice to meet you." Kitty smiled at her.

"You as well." Phoebe returned the smile as she gazed at Kitty appraisingly. She'd already judged the Marshal to be a cut above most other men and now looking at his lady, she had a feeling Kitty was too. Though her face was painted and her clothes were a bit fancier, Phoebe recognized class and strength, and she saw both emanating from the beautiful red head.

"Uh, Dr. Stewart." Matt interrupted the two women as they quietly took stock of each other. "Is there anything else you can tell about this second man?"

Phoebe turned her to gaze to Matt and nodded. "Yes. Nothing that would help, I'm afraid though. I found his ticket in his pocket. He was apparently heading to Salt Lake City on business. I also found a letter addressed to a Mr. Wilbur Barnes from a manufacturing company of some sort in St. Louis. I suppose that is Mr. Barnes."

Matt looked down at the second victim and nodded. "Yeah, probably. But the real question is, who's his murderer."

Phoebe looked down at the two dead men and then back up at Matt. "Well, if he keeps killing, he won't be hard to find, because he'll be the last one alive on board."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

After the trio left the baggage car and headed to the passenger car, Matt decided he needed to find Thomas and see how long it would be before the train was freed from whatever obstruction held them there and they could get to Salt Lake City. He doubted the killer, whomever it was, was on some sort of murdering rampage, or that the whole train was in danger. But still, two people murdered were plenty to warrant caution and speed of getting to the next stop.

Thinking of two people, Matt looked at the two women beside him. It was perhaps not a bad idea that he took measures to protect them. "Kitty." He stopped walking and looked down at her. "I want you and Dr. Stewart to stay together for a while. I suspect whoever killed those two men targeted them specifically, but it wouldn't hurt to take some precautions."

"Alright." Kitty nodded. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find the conductor and see what's keeping us stalled." Matt answered as he moved on down the aisle away from the two women.

Phoebe looked over at Kitty, "Shall we proceed into the passenger car?"

Kitty smiled graciously and extended her hand towards the door, "After you, Dr. Stewart."

The women entered the passenger car and quickly took a seat together near the door, and slightly way from the other passengers. Kitty sat directly across from Phoebe, so that they could see what was going on in both directions. Kitty was getting settled in her seat when she could feel a pair of eyes on her. She looked up to see Phoebe studying her. "Something wrong, Dr. Stewart?"

Realizing that she had been analyzing the woman sitting across from her, Phoebe had the decency to blush slightly. "No, Miss Russell, I was just admiring your dress. It's very beautiful, you have very refined taste, is it from New York?"

Kitty brushed her hand down the skirt of her dress, "Thank you, Dr. Stewart, but it's not exactly from New York."

Phoebe gave her a confused look, "I am afraid I do not understand, Miss Russell."

Kitty smiled, "The material came from New York, but I had a seamstress in Dodge City make the dress."

"So you and the Marshal are both from Dodge City. I suspected you might be."

Kitty eyed her a little suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"You were both so comfortable around one another, like you knew each other."

"Yes, Matt and I know each other." Kitty gave a small smile as she thought of just how well they knew each other.

"Since you know the Marshal, tell me, is he married?"

Kitty's thoughts came to a screeching halt, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

Phoebe couldn't blame Kitty for being distracted given the subject of the Marshal. Ever since Phoebe met him she'd had distracting thoughts about the tall handsome lawman herself. "I was wondering if Marshal Dillon is married."

Kitty wondered if she would ever get use to women asking her that question about Matt. She shifted in her seat and sat up a little straighter. She wanted to tell the good doctor that he was spoken for, but thought better of it. Kitty had agreed years ago to Matt's terms that they keep their romantic relationship a secret and that someday that would change, but today was not that day. "No, Matt is not married." Kitty simply replied.

Phoebe leaned back in her seat. "But you'd like that to change?" Phoebe prompted further.

Kitty's brow wrinkled slightly before she arched an eyebrow, "I'm sorry Dr. Stewart, but what are you trying to get at here?"

Noticing that she was upsetting Kitty, Phoebe leaned forward quickly. "Oh my goodness, Miss Russell please let me explain. You see in my line of work you have to pay attention to things about a patient that they are not telling you in order to fully diagnose them. For instance when you said that the Marshal wasn't married you were twisting your ring on your left hand. You might not have been aware that you were doing it. Also, I noticed when you talk to the Marshal you look at him the way a woman who is very much in love with man looks at him."

"Oh," Kitty stated softly as she looked down at her left hand.

Phoebe reached over and placed her hand on Kitty's knee. "I am sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to."

Kitty smiled at Phoebe. "Don't worry about it."

As soon as Matt left the women, he hurried down the length of the train, ignoring the few people who called after him, having seen him and the conductor together earlier. Matt needed to find out what was going on and how quickly they could get going again. He found Thomas just coming in from the platform after talking to the engineer. "Thomas, what's going on? When can we get going again?"

Quickly grabbing Matt's arm, Thomas pulled him back out onto the platform, and closed the door firmly before speaking. "I'm afraid it's bad, Marshal." He sighed. "We've been hit by an avalanche. There's been heavy snow here in the Rockies this winter and the noise from the train must've dislodged a load from the peak."

"How bad?" Matt asked. "I mean, if I get the male passengers on board to help, how long do you think it'd take to dig us out?"

"I'm not for sure Marshal." Thomas answered regretfully. "You see the railroad company pushed up the initial date by a week before the train could be stocked with all the proper equipment. We don't have any shovels on board. And that snow is heavy and deep."

"Then we need to try and back this thing up to the last fueling station." Matt answered. "We can wire for help there."

But Thomas shook his head again. "Afraid not, Marshal. The engineer, fuel man, and I have checked this train from front to back and we're stuck. We can't go forward or backwards. Like I said, the snow pack was heavy and deep. The only thing that saved the train is the peak we're under. It kind of acted like a sort of roof for us, and pushed the snow out to the sides, which landed both in front and behind the train."

Matt's mind was reeling, but it wasn't a time to panic. "Alright, then, maybe we can walk to the next fueling station."

"No, need." The conductor sighed. "We're at the next station, or at least almost. The avalanche hit it dead on."

"Was it manned?' Matt immediately began to think of anyone that might have been buried in the snow. But he was relieved when Thomas shook his head negatively.

"No Marshal, the man that runs that station only checks on it once a week and he only stays long enough to make sure the station is stocked with enough fuel. He would be back at his home and it's a day's ride from here.

"Good." Matt nodded. "I'm glad of that."

"Yeah," Thomas shrugged. "Only it leaves us with a couple of pretty big problems."

"Like what?" Matt was afraid to ask.

"Well, we're running a little low on wood for both the engine and the stoves. We were going to pick it up at the fuel station, but it was buried in the avalanche and if you haven't noticed there are not a lot of trees around here."

"And the other problem?" Matt swallowed hard.

"The only telegraph was knocked out by that snow. There isn't any way to contact someone and tell them what's happened to us unless someone wants to take off walking for a few days and the temperature in this part of the mountains gets bitterly cold and they would freeze to death."

Matt thought about volunteering to take that walk himself, confident that his strength and long legs would get him a lot further and a lot quicker than any of the others on board. But two things held him back firmly, Kitty, and the fact that there was a murderer on board, and no telling what he or she would do next. Matt was willing to take a chance with his life, but not Kitty's or anyone else's. "How much wood do we have left?" Matt finally asked.

"Well, if we used it all for the stoves and didn't save any for the engine," Thomas calculated the amount in his head. "I figure we might could last a couple of days rather comfortably. But we'd not have enough to get us out of here should someone come and dig us out and we'd be in trouble if they didn't come before that time."

Matt licked his bottom lip, considering his options when it suddenly dawned on him what he could do to not only get more wood, but perhaps, study the other passengers as well to find the killer.

"Thomas, get the male passengers together. We're going to start digging for wood."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't know why we gotta do all this work for." A reed-thin man with a sallow complexion, thinning hair and a seemingly permanent sneer on his lips sniped as he bent over and wearily scooped up another bowl of snow and tossed it over his shoulder. "There's wood in the second car. I saw it."

"That wood won't last." Matt glared over at him as he scooped snow in a cooking pot. He seemed to remember Thomas telling him that the man's name was Floyd Jameson. "We'll go through that in no time, Jameson, just keeping warm and cooking. We're also going to need wood to fuel the engine when we get the tracks free of the snow."

Arthur Burns straightened up and looked over at the grumbling complainer. "That engine don't fire on nothing, ya know."

"Well, I thought as  _Engineer_ ," another man, Winston Foster, joined in the conversation, "You'd know enough to stock plenty of wood for that."

"I did." Arthur snapped. "I made sure there was plenty of wood on board to get us to the next fueling station and then some, and I did just that. But, I had no way of knowing the next fueling station and my engine would be buried in an avalanche of snow."

"I suppose you want us to dig that out with bowls too?" A third man, Lucas Chalk sneered. "I am a very wealthy man, and I should not have to do this kind of manual labor."

"Me neither!" Jameson groused.

"That's enough." Matt growled as he looked around at the four male passengers, engineer and fireman working alongside him. It was clear from the many scowling looks Matt received, they weren't used to, nor did they like, this kind of work especially when their shovels were improvised from kitchen utensils. But, Matt wasn't concerned with that. He was concerned, however, with getting enough wood for their needs and finding the person that had murdered two people aboard the train. He doubted a woman would've committed such a heinous crime as stabbing another person, so Matt was spending this amount of time working with the men of the train, to study each of them hoping to see something that would give him a clue.

While Matt and the other men worked outside with rudimentary tools to shovel the snow, Kitty and Phoebe had sat in comfortable silence until Kitty had to excuse herself to go visit the washroom.

"Kitty, I thought the Marshal asked us to stay together." Phoebe reminded her.

"He did." Kitty nodded as she rose from her seat. "But I doubt Matt included the water closet. Besides, all the men are outside, we're safe enough and I have to go."

"Well, be careful." Phoebe sighed. "Do you have your derringer?"

"I do." Kitty smiled at her as she left the physician's side and headed down the aisle. The water closet was at the end of the car on the right hand side. Just barely big enough to contain a chamber pot on a little platform and a small table with a bowl and water, it was, nevertheless, quite a luxury on a train.

Kitty had just reached the door and was about to touch the handle when she heard a soft moan. Quickly grabbing the knob, she opened the door to find a blonde woman sitting on the floor, with a large bloodstain forming on her white shirtwaist. Quickly kneeling beside the girl, Kitty gently touched the young woman's cheek.

"Ahh… I… Hel.." The girl tried to talk, but Kitty could tell she was beyond talking for the moment. "Phoebe!" Kitty stuck her head out the door and yelled loudly. "Come quick; bring your bag."

As Phoebe gathered her skirts and got to her feet, the rest of the women in the passenger car got up and came near.

A thin woman arrived in the doorway first, before Phoebe, followed closely by the other women passengers. "AHHHHHHHHH!" The thin woman, named Constance Trimble, screamed loudly seeing the blood soaked woman sitting on the floor in front of Kitty.

A figure standing at the back of the crowd of women, looked in to see the scene in the small washroom, he watched the mortally wounded woman move her lips as the Russell woman held her head, and leaning in close to listen. Slipping back into the shadows without anyone noticing, he quickly got away from the scene and hurried away. He had no desire to be caught lingering there and arousing anyone's suspicion. The killer wondered what his latest victim had told the Russell woman, as he used his escape route to circle around towards the men, while coming to the conclusion that he would have to dispense of the Russell woman.

Outside, Matt had just tossed another pan of snow away from him when he heard a high-pitched scream coming from the passenger car of the train. Tossing the pan down, he wasted no time in barreling towards the train. He didn't know who had screamed but knowing that Kitty was in that train, was all the motivation he needed to force his speed.

"Kitty?" He called when he gained the door.

"Here, Matt." Kitty answered, standing back from the now dead woman as Phoebe silently placed a towel over the dead woman's head and got back to her feet.

"What happened?" Matt asked as he looked around him. Besides, Kitty and Phoebe and the deceased, there were three other women standing near the washroom, Thomas was coming down the aisle from the opposite way, as the rest of the men from outside entered the car behind Matt.

"I was going to the wash room," Kitty took a deep breath. "When I opened the door she was lying on the floor and…"

"Wait, Kitty." Matt stopped her from saying anything more as he pulled her away from the others. As an idea, that he'd had while shoveling, found a stronger footing in his mind. "Tell me everything but privately."

"Why?" She questioned.

"I have an idea. We'll talk later." He whispered as he moved towards Thomas and quietly filled him in on what had happened. Matt had Thomas clear the aisle and send the men back out to continue trying to remove snow, while Matt returned to the washroom and carefully picked up the dead woman.

As Matt was retrieving the body, Phoebe stepped up next to Kitty. "What did the girl say to you?"

Kitty studied Phoebe for a moment. Though Kitty instinctively trusted her, she decided it was best she wait to talk to Matt first. "We'll talk about it later." She said in a low voice, as Matt appeared from the washroom with the body.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Matt looked around and saw that the men were gone and the women, sans Kitty and Phoebe, were sitting in a group looking out the window. Matt looked at Thomas who had just entered the car. "Why aren't you out helping the men?"

Thomas gave him a puzzled look. "I came back in to help take care of the body. The passengers are my responsibility."

Matt glanced at the women sitting by the window. "I can see to the body, it is my responsibility. Once you check on the women it would be helpful if you could make sure the men continue to remove the snow. I'll join you as soon as I get the body to the baggage car."

Thomas touched the bill of his hat as he nodded to Matt, "Alright Marshal, I'll see you outside."

Matt looked at Kitty, "Kitty, you and Dr. Stewart are coming with me."

The trio entered the baggage car and Matt placed the body next to the other two, moving out of the way so Dr. Stewart could examine the body. As Phoebe started examining the dead woman, Matt took Kitty by the elbow and moved her away from the doctor so they could speak without being heard.

"Kitty, tell me everything you can remember."

"There isn't much to tell, Matt. I went to the water closet, opened the door and found her sitting on the floor holding her chest where she was bleeding."

"Was she awake when you found her?"

Kitty looked towards Phoebe and then back at Matt, "She tried to talk, but all she said was help."

"Did you or Dr. Stewart talk to her before this happened?"

"No, Matt, we pretty much kept to ourselves."

Matt caught Phoebe coming towards them out of the corner of his eye, "What did you find out Doctor?"

Phoebe stood next to Kitty. "Knife wound, same as the other two. The only difference this time is that the killer nicked her heart, so she didn't die immediately like the other two. Her reticule was still on her wrist." Phoebe stated as she handed the item to Matt.

Matt looked through the bag and found the woman's ticket for the train. "Her train ticket says her name is Eliza Sanderson from Boston."

Phoebe ran her hand across her forehead. "Do you have any idea why these three people were targeted?"

"Not yet, Dr. Stewart."

After Matt took Dr. Stewart back to the passenger car and the security of being with the other female passengers, he took Kitty to their private sleeping car where they could have complete seclusion. After Matt locked the door he sat down on the bed. "I need you to tell me about New Orleans and Richard Stephens."

Kitty stood next to the bed looking at Matt before giving her head a slight nod. She sat down next to him, but not touching him. She liked feeling his nearness, but needed the distance in order to do the telling.

"I was working as a poker dealer at Julie Blane's Bayou House. Stephens was a gambler who frequented the place. One night he lost very heavily at the table I was dealing at, and ended up losing close to twenty-five hundred dollars. At the end of the night I went up to my room on the third floor." Matt gave Kitty a perplexed look. "The Bayou House had a few working girls and their rooms where on the second floor and looked out over the gaming floor. The third floor had a small suite of private rooms for Julie and her family. I was sixteen when Julie hired me and she didn't want me walking home on the dark streets of New Orleans after work, so she gave me a room on the third floor away from the working girls, where she could keep a close protective eye on me."

Matt gave her a small nod of his head to prod her to continue. "That night I was in my room about to get ready for bed when Richard Stephen's picked the lock on my door and walked in. Kitty's eyes became unfocused as she lost herself in the memory of that night.

" _Oh there's been no mistake, Kitty. I'm exactly where I am supposed to be." Stephens smiled as he saw the fear on Kitty's face. Stephens watched as her eyes darted to the closed door, then to Stephens, and back to the door again. Stephens took a few steps away from the door moving closer to Kitty's bed._

_Kitty had been hoping that Richard would move away from the door, and that's when she made her move, with all the speed she could muster, Kitty lunged for the door only to make it a step or two before Richard caught her around the waist with his arms._

" _Uh, ah ah, you may have been in control at the poker table, but I control everything now." Stephens laughed._

_Kitty started kicking and punching Richard's back in an attempt to free herself. When her shoe made contacted with his shin, he yelled out in rage and threw Kitty on her bed. She landed with a soft thud on her back, but before she could react, Richard was straddled atop her on his knees._

" _Have you got it yet, bitch? I am in total control here, and we are going to play my game now."_

_Kitty tired frantically to think clearly, wondering how she hadn't seen this coming. "Get off me!" Kitty screamed._

_Richard backhanded her hard splitting Kitty's lip, "You do as I say now, whore, and keep that mouth of yours quiet."_

_Kitty balled her fist up and quickly swung at Richard's face. He just as quickly caught her wrist, and instantly grabbed the other wrist leaning over her face._

" _You are a feisty whore. You must like it rough." Richard sneered. "Well, fight all you want, I am still going to collect."_

_Kitty continued to put up a struggle, trying to throw Stephen's off balance. "I AM GOING TO SCRATCH YOUR EYES OUT! GET OFF ME!" Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs hoping to attract the attention of John, Julie's hired muscle._

_Richard let go of Kitty's wrist to backhand her again, but Kitty was quicker, and raked the nails of her free hand across his cheek causing him to release her other wrist as he cupped his injured cheek. Kitty wasted no time pushing Richard backwards, throwing him off balance and tumbling to the floor. Kitty leaped off the bed and over Richard towards the door, but before she could make it to the door, Richard grabbed hold of her ankle. Kitty lost her balance, and reached for the side table causing the table and its porcelain washbasin to go crashing to the floor with her._

_Kitty fought like a wild cat, as Richard scrambled up her body to trying to pin her to the floor. They rolled back and forth as Richard continually tried to pin Kitty to the floor, and Kitty attempted to free herself. She had just managed to throw Richard off balance enough to roll on to her stomach and started to crawl out from under him, when Richard grabbed the hair on the back of Kitty's head slamming her head against the floor. He then pulled Kitty's head back leaning his head close to hers, his lips almost touching her ear. "All that arrogance, well you aren't so tough now are you whore? I'm about to break you good and proper." Richard threw his head back and laughed, spittle covering his chin. Stephen's was still straddling Kitty as he rose up on his knees spinning Kitty on to her back quickly pinning her arms under his knees._

_Kitty's head was still throbbing from the blow against the wood floor as she struggled helplessly under Stephen's bulk. Kitty's eyes went wide when Stephens produced a knife in front of her face. Kitty turned her head to the side as he brought the knife close to her face, gently touching her cheek with the tip. Kitty squeezed her eyes shut as Stephens lightly dragged the knife tip down her throat and chest and stopped at the low cut neckline of her dress before slipping the knife into the neckline and pulling it downwards, the fabric easily cutting against the sharp blade. "JOHN HHELLPP ME!" Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs._

_Richard quickly put his free hand over Kitty's mouth. "No one is going to help you, whore. We are going to play my game now. It's one you are well used to I am sure." He mocked dropping his eyes to Kitty's chest._

_Stephen's cut the fine material away until Kitty was exposed almost to the waist. She saw the gleam in his eyes as he looked her over, causing Kitty to internally shiver._

_Richard licked his lips, "The bottom end is sure to be even more inviting, eh?" Richard reached back with this hands gathering Kitty's skirt and up around her waist. "I prefer my whores with their skirts bunched up around their waists."_

_As Stephens placed the tip of the knife under the waistband of Kitty's bloomers, Kitty took a deep breath and screamed, "NNNNNNOOOOOO!"_

Kitty's blinked her eyes several times before coming back into focus and her mind coming back to the present. "If it wasn't for John coming in at that moment, he would…he would have-"

Matt placed his hand on Kitty's shoulder stopping her in mid-sentence. "I know it was hard for you to tell me that." He leaned in and kissed the side of her head. "If he wasn't already dead I'd kill him with my bare hands." He whispered.

Kitty looked at Matt giving him a soft smile. "I know and I thank you for that. I'm just glad that he won't be able to prey on any more women."

Matt's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked with concern.

"After Julie had John throw Stephens out, I overheard her talking to the local law. Two woman had recently been brutally assaulted and Stephens was accused of being the attacker."

Matt's eyes narrowed at the new information. He stood up. "Come on Kitty, I need to find Stephens personal belongings and look through them."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Matt placed Stephens's one piece of luggage on the bed. Matt had found it tucked way under the bed of Stephens's sleeping compartment. It was locked. Matt pushed his Stetson back on his head. When he had searched Stephens person he hadn't found any keys. "Guess I am going to have to break the lock." He started looking around the compartment for something to break the lock with, when he noticed Kitty fiddling with the suitcase. As he approached the bed, Kitty lifted the lid of the case.

As Kitty placed the hair pin back in her hair, she gave Matt a no nonsense look. "Don't ask."

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't think of it."

A few minutes later, Matt stood scratching his head. He had been all through Stephens things and hadn't found anything of significance. "I thought for sure we'd find something that would connect Stephens with the other two victims."

Kitty was standing next to Matt with her arms crossed in front of her. "You don't think the killer is doing this randomly, do you Matt."

"No Kitty, I don't."

"Maybe you'll find something when you search Wilbur Barnes's things." She stated encouragingly. Kitty reached over and started putting Stephens's things back in the luggage, when she noticed the fabric in the lid of the case was frayed in the upper corner. As Kitty toyed with the fabric, the panel the fabric was wrapped around, came loose. Kitty pulled the thin panel away. "Matt, look at this."

Matt walked over and looked at the case. "Those are newspaper clippings." Matt reached in and grabbed the clippings and started reading them.

Kitty watched as Matt read clipping after clipping. "What are they about, Matt?"

Matt finished reading the last clipping and carefully tucked them into the inside pocket of his coat. He clinched his jaw a few times before answering. "They are about several break-ins that happened in four major cities."

Kitty could read Matt like a book. "There's more, isn't there Matt?"

Matt took a deep breath and let it out quickly. He knew Kitty wouldn't stop until he told her. "In each clipping women had been attacked."

The way Matt had ground the word attacked out, Kitty knew he had meant raped. "Oh." She replied softly.

It didn't take the long to locate Wilbur Barnes carpetbag, among the man's belongings was a leather pouch. Amid the papers in the pouch was a photograph. Matt handed it to Kitty as he read through the papers.

Kitty looked at the picture. It was a wedding photo of Barnes and his bride that was taken on their wedding day. Kitty turned the photo over. There was some writing on the back. "Matt, look at this."

Matt looked up from the papers he was reading. Kitty was holding the photo out to him. Matt took the picture from Kitty. "That's definitely Barnes in the picture, but I don't get it, Kitty. Why did you want me to look at this?"

"Look at the back of the picture."

Matt turned the photo over, on the back written in very feminine handwriting was the following. Wilbur Barnes and Christine Stephens married 1859. Matt's eyes went wide and he quickly turned the photo back around to look at the bride in the photo.

Kitty tapped her finger by the woman's face. "The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?"

"I'll say Kitty. According to the year, Christine Barnes is Richard Stephen's sister."

"Why do you think Stephens and Barnes where heading to Salt Lake?" Kitty pondered.

"I don't know, Kitty. The bigger question right now is how Eliza Sanderson is connected to Stephens and Barnes."

"Maybe our luck will hold out when we go through her belongings." Kitty anticipated.

As Matt and Kitty existed Wilbur Barnes's sleeping compartment, Kitty almost ran into Thomas who was outside the door.

"There you are Marshal. Is everything alright?" Thomas wondered.

Matt closed the compartment door as he stepped into the hallway. "Is there a problem, Thomas?"

"Ah, no." Thomas stated with a bit of embarrassment. "It's just that when you didn't show up, like you said, I thought maybe-, well you know."

"I see." Matt replied.

Kitty took pity on Thomas seeing how uncomfortable he had become. "I'm the one who delayed the Marshal, Thomas. I needed to speak with him about a private matter."

Thomas looked at the door of the compartment the couple had just exited with a look of confusion. "In Mr. Barnes compartment?"

Kitty put on a face of embarrassment for Thomas, "I'm afraid I was a bit flustered after finding that poor girl that I mistakenly entered the wrong compartment. You could see how easily a person could make such a mistake after all that happened, couldn't you?"

Thomas gave Kitty an apologetic look. "Of course Miss Russell."

"Thomas," Matt spoke up grabbing Thomas's attention. "Did Eliza Sanderson have a private sleeping compartment?"

"Oh! Ah, why yes she did."

"Could you show it to me? I would like to take a look at it."

"Of course, Marshal, right this way." Thomas turned and headed three doors down and stopped. "This is Miss Sanderson's compartment." He said stepping aside to let Matt enter.

Matt no sooner opened the door, that he drew his gun pointing it into the room. "Hold it right there?"

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

"Hold it right there!" Matt ordered the man who was in the room. The man, who stood about 5 ft. 11 inches with slightly gray, thinning brown hair and wore a handlebar mustache like a weapon. His gray eyes, though they missed nothing, were humorless and devoid of much light. His long frock coat and derby hat, as well as the gold watch chain hanging from his left vest pocket, bespoke of a man of wealth. However, the slightly frayed cuffs of his pants and shirt, as well as the cheap cigar he continually kept anchored in the side of his mouth, described a man who had to work for his daily bread.

The man slowly put his hands in the air. "Take it easy with that gun, cowboy."

Matt narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm a United States Marshal. Who are you?"

"The name's Herbert Walters. You can put that gun away, Marshal."

Matt looked Walters up and down. "Why don't you explain what you are doing going through Miss Sanderson's belongings?"

"If you allow me to reach into my inside coat pocket, I can straighten everything out."

"Just keep your hands where I can see them." Matt walked further into the compartment. "Turn around," he ordered.

Walters complied as Matt took out his handcuffs and put them on Walters. Once he had Walters securely locked in the handcuffs, he turned to Kitty. "Kitty, I want you to go back to the passenger car with Phoebe and the other women."

Kitty nodded her head, "Okay Matt." She turned and left knowing that Matt didn't want her near the killer.

Matt watched Kitty disappear out of sight, and then looked at Thomas. "Thomas I want you to go out to the men and check on their progress. The sooner we get this train moving the better."

"Alright, Marshal." Thomas replied before heading down the hallway to go check on the men.

Once Matt had Walters securely handcuffed in the baggage car, he leaned against some crates and looked at Walters. "When we arrive in Salt Lake City, I will be handing you over to the authorities for the murders of Richard Stephens, Wilbur Barnes, and Eliza Sanderson."

Walters shook his head. "Marshal, I had nothing to do with those murders."

Matt looked at him doubtfully. "Then why were you searching Miss Sanderson's room?"

"Marshal, I am a Pinkerton agent. I was assigned to follow Eliza Sanderson; she's wanted back in Boston for a number of crimes."

Matt stood up straight. "A Pinkerton agent! Can you prove that?"

"My identification is in the inside left pocket of my coat."

Matt walked up to Walters, and reached in the man's coat pocket pulling out his wallet. He looked through the wallet and found Walters's identification, and that he was, in fact, a Pinkerton agent. "Explain something to me; if you were following Sanderson was there anyone who wanted her dead?"

Walters shook his head. "Not that I know of. She had stolen some expensive jewelry from a wealthy couple in Boston. The couple ended up not pressing charges and hired me to follow her in hopes that she would lead me to where she had the jewelry."

"Did she have anyone working with her that you know of?"

Walters motioned his head towards the three bodies in the corner. "She met up with Charles Danner at the train station in Boston, and they boarded the train together. From what I was able to over hear they were heading to Salt Lake to continue shaking down wealthy couples."

As Matt digested every thing that Herbert Walters had told him, and that the real killer was still among them, he realized he needed to find Kitty and quick as she was still in danger.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Herbert Walters had a hard time keeping up with Matt's long stride, as they walked quickly through car after car to reach the passenger car. Matt no sooner entered the passenger car than he spotted Phoebe sitting by herself and quickly walked up to her.

"Phoebe, where's Kitty?"

Phoebe gave Matt a strange look. "I thought she was with you."

"I sent her back here after... You haven't seen her at all?"

"No Marshal, I'm sorry. I haven't seen Kitty since the two of you left the passenger car together."

Matt looked about the car before addressing Phoebe again. "When you see Kitty, have her stay here with you."

Phoebe never questioned Matt. "I will, Marshal."

Matt turned to Walters. "I want you to stay here and keep an eye on the women. If anyone comes in here, I want you to keep a close eye on them. Do you understand?"

"They could be the killer. I understand Marshal. "

Matt nodded his head and left the car. He quickly went through the dinning car next door, and exited the train. He figured running along the outside of the train, to where Thomas and the men were digging, would be faster then going through the interior of the train. As Matt was running along side the train, a shadow in the snow just ahead of him caught his eye and he stopped. Matt looked at the roof of the train and then back at the trains shadow. Matt watched as the shadow of a man walked along the top of the train. The shadow was heading in the same direction as Matt, so he carefully walked straight out away from the side of the train until he could just see the shoulder of the man, and then as quickly as he could, Matt went back to the side of the train where the snow was less deep and started running along side of the train to the closest platform. As soon as he reached the steps, Matt swung himself up and quickly climbed the iron rungs leading to the roof of the train. No sooner then his head crested over the edge, Matt's eyes scanned the roof top, but it was empty. Whoever the man was must have climbed off the roof as Matt was climbing up to it.

Matt scrambled down the rungs as fast as he could, landing on the platform with a loud thud. He opened the door and looked into the car where the man had just been on the roof. The hallway was empty. He swiftly moved through the car and reached the other platform. He moved to the side of the platform and looked up and down the side of the train. Seeing no one, Matt swiftly moved to the other side of the platform looking up and down that side of the train, again seeing no one. However, in the distance at the front of the train Matt could see the male passengers where they were clearing away the snow. Matt jumped down from the platform and started jogging towards them.

As Matt approached the men, his eyes scanned along the men working to see whom, if anyone was missing. It had crossed his mind early on that there could be a stow-away on the train, but Matt had discarded that idea since he had roamed almost every inch of the train early on in the trip. However, after seeing the figure of a man on the roof of the train, it was apparent that someone was using the roof to move about undetected, and the killer could very well be someone that stowed away. As Matt considered this possibility he continued to scan the men working at removing the snow, before he could establish if anyone was missing, Arthur, the train's engineer approached him.

"Good news, Marshal Dillon. We have the tracks, ahead of the train, almost cleared to the point where we can push our way through the remaining snow."

"That is good news, Arthur." Matt looked over Arthur's shoulder and noticed that Thomas was nowhere in sight. "Arthur, I sent Thomas out here to check on things, and I don't see him anywhere."

"I am right here, Marshal." Matt turned around to see Thomas standing there rubbing his hands together for warmth. "I was just about to head into the train to update you on the progress out here, and to see how you were coming with wrapping up that situation from earlier."

"I have everything well in hand, and Arthur just told me the news about the tracks." Matt rubbed his chin slowly. "Thomas, you and Arthur get the men busy uncovering the wood. I am going to check on the women and be right back to help you."

"I can do that for you, Marshal. After all, the passengers are my responsibility." Thomas offered.

Matt gave Thomas a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Force of habit." Matt stated with a wide grin. "You don't mind, do you?"

Thomas shrugged his shoulders. "No, Marshal, I do not mind." Thomas looked at Arthur. "What do you say we go get everyone busy freeing up that wood, Art, so we can get out of here."

"You don't hav'ta tell me twice." Arthur remarked.

As the two men walked away, Matt turned and headed back to the train. He climbed onto the first platform he came to, and then up the rungs to the roof. Once he was on the roof he noticed that there was a thin layer of snow covering part of the first car after the engine and wood box, but the rest of the car roofs were clear. He started walking along the roof towards the back of the train in hopes of finding a clue. It wasn't until he was almost to the baggage car at the end of the train when he noticed tracks leading away from the train into the near-by woods.

Matt swiftly climbed off the roof and to the ground. He bent down and looked at the footprints in the snow. There were two sets of footprints, Matt's heart started to race as one of the sets where from a woman's boots. He looked around but didn't see anyone. He desperately wanted to call out Kitty's name, but knew if he did that it could do more harm then good. Moving as quietly and quickly as he could, Matt followed the tracks into the trees. It wasn't long before he stopped when he saw something ahead behind a rather wide tree. Matt took a few steps forward to get a closer look. His eyes went wide when he saw the dark blue fabric of a woman's skirt peeking out from behind the tree. Matt raced around the tree and stopped dead in his tracks. "Kitty!"

There before Matt, laid Kitty, bound and gaged with her hands tied behind her back, half buried in the snow. Matt fell onto his knees next to her. "Kitty. Kitty, it's Matt. Open your eyes, Honey." Getting no response Matt carefully removed the snow and looked her over to see if she was wounded. "Kitty, open your eyes, Honey." Not finding any wounds Matt took out his pocketknife and cut the rope from around Kitty's wrists and arms and put the knife back in his pocket. He carefully removed the gag and started rubbing her cheek. "Kit, it's Matt. Open your eyes for me, Honey." He rubbed her cheek some more. "Kit, Honey, open your eyes." Matt noticed that her eyes start to move back and forth under her eyelids. "That's it, Honey, open your eyes."

Kitty's eyes fluttered a few times before she was finally able to open them. "Matt," she whispered.

"I'm right here, Honey."

When Kitty's eyes finally came into focus, she saw Matt's face smiling down at her and then shivered violently. "I'm cold."

Matt took hold of Kitty's shoulders, "Let me help you sit up." He pulled her up out of the snow into a sitting position. "Is that better?"

Kitty rubbed her upper arms with her hands. "It's a start."

Matt leaned in and gave her a long warm kiss. "Are you starting to get warm now?" he quipped as he leaned back on his heels.

Kitty nodded her head and then looked down at her legs. "Think you can help me with these?" She said pointing to the rope.

Matt gave her a big grin. "Yes ma'am." Matt had the rope cut and off in no time. As he helped Kitty stand up, he scooped her into his arms hugging her tight. "Are you alright?" He whispered into her ear.

"I am now," Kitty mumbled into Matt's chest.

Matt pulled Kitty away from his chest so he could look at her. "Do you know who did this to you?"

"That would be me, Marshal."

Matt spun around and instantly pushed Kitty behind him. Thomas stood with his legs slightly apart, his back straight, and a large knife in his hand.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Matt spun around and instantly pushed Kitty behind him. Thomas stood with his legs slightly apart, his back straight, and a large knife in his hand. His fee hand was clenching and unclenching into a fist.

Matt raised his hands in a defensive posture. "Put the knife down, Thomas."

Kitty was surprised that Matt was tying to talk Thomas into putting the knife down instead of just pulling his gun, so she looked down at Matt's side and saw that his gun holster was empty. Why didn't Matt have his gun, she wondered. Kitty gripped Matt's waist as Thomas took a step towards her and Matt.

"I am afraid I can not do that, Marshal. You and Miss Russell are the last loose ends that I need to take care of."

Matt shifted this weight. "Look Thomas, let Miss Russell go she has nothing to do with this."

Thomas narrowed his eyes. "Again, Marshal, I am afraid I can not do that. She heard Sanderson's confession before she died, so you see I can't let Miss Russell leave here alive." Thomas raised his knife.

"Who was she Thomas?"

Thomas gave Matt a questioning look.

"Who was the woman that Richard Stephens was involved with?"

Thomas's eyes turned dark as he gripped the knife harder. "She was NOT involved with him!" Thomas bit out.

"Did Stephens promise to take her away with him?" Matt prodded. "Give her a better life then what she had?"

Kitty realize what Matt was doing, he was pushing Thomas to become so mad that he would be blind with rage and come after Matt. Kitty knew that Matt could hold his own in a fight, but she had also witnessed what a man in a blind rage was capable of doing. Kitty started looking around for anything Matt could or herself could use as a weapon, when she remembered the derringer in the pocket of her skirt.

Thomas became red in the face at what Matt was suggesting. "My daughter was 14 years old when Stephens broke into our home and raped her when my wife and I were gone. Stephens ruined my daughter's life!" Thomas was filled with rage and leaped towards Matt.

Matt was ready for Thomas when he saw the man charge after him. Suddenly, Matt heard the compressed sound of a gun going off behind him as Thomas dropped the knife and then suddenly grab his shoulder. It was all the opportunity Matt needed as he rushed forward and punched Thomas in the jaw sending him flying backwards into the snow on the ground. Thomas was out cold. Matt looked back to the tree where Kitty was, she was just standing in front of the tree with the derringer in her hand and Matt smiled at her.

Kitty's hands were still numb from the cold as she put the derringer back in her skirt pocket before reaching down and picking up the rope at her feet. She walked over to Matt and handed it to him. Matt took the rope from her and quickly secured Thomas with it. As Kitty stood there watching Matt, she saw the men from the train come running in there direction. "Matt?"

"Yea, Kitty." Matt replied with out looking up.

"We have company." Kitty answered, and handed him her derringer.

**KM**

Kitty took a seat in the passenger car near the stove, while Phoebe got a blanket for her. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She had a pounding headache from hitting her head and blacking out when Thomas pushed her to the floor in the hallway as she tired to make a run for it. The next thing she remembered was Matt's warm hand on her cheek and his voice telling her to open her eyes. What if Matt hadn't found her, she thought, giving an involuntary shiver.

"Here, Kitty, wrap this blanket around you." Kitty opened her eyes, and took the blanket that Phoebe held out to her and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I brought you some hot coffee too."

Kitty gave Phoebe a grateful smile as she took the steaming mug from her. "Thank you, Phoebe." Kitty wrapped both of her still cold hands around the coffee mug letting the warmth of the mug seep in. She brought the mug to her lips and took a small sip of the hot liquid. "Nice eye opener." Kitty quipped as the warmth of the whiskey-laced coffee started warming her from the inside.

"Kentucky's finest."

"Just what Doc would have prescribed." Kitty responded, as she took another drink.

"Doc?"

"Doctor Adams is the town doctor in Dodge. We call him Doc."

"I see, well just make sure you drink it slowly. I don't want to warm you up too fast."

Kitty nodded her head as she snuggled deeper into the blanket.

"Would you like another blanket, Kitty?"

"No, I'm fine."

"So, Thomas, the train's conductor, was the killer?"

Kitty stared at the stove. "Yes, it seems that Richard Stephens brutally attacked his daughter."

"And Wilbur Barnes?"

Kitty continued to stare at the stove. "He was Richard Stephens brother-in-law. Barnes and his wife, Stephens sister, helped Stephens evade the law and leave town."

Phoebe shifted in her seat. "So, Thomas felt Barnes was just as guilty as Stephens?"

"It looks that way." Kitty answered.

"What about Eliza Sanderson? What part did she play in the attack?"

Kitty shook her head. "She didn't. Sanderson had partnered up with Stephens years later. Thomas had over heard Sanderson and Stephens talking early on in the trip about how they were going to continue their scheme to continue robbing people, so he kept an eye on Sanderson along with Stephens. It seems that Eliza saw Thomas coming out of Stephens sleeping compartment. Thomas didn't notice her at first, but quickly disappeared out of sight when he did. He waited until the opportunity presented itself and well you know what happened from there."

"Yes, unfortunately I do. So how did Thomas move around the train, without anyone detecting him?"

Kitty pointed her finger up. "He was using the roof of the train to travel from car to car."

"Oh." Phoebe whispered before standing up. "There you are, Marshal."

Matt tipped his had at Phoebe. "Dr. Stewart," he greeted as he sat down next to Kitty. "How is she doing doctor?"

Kitty gave Matt an exasperated look. "I'm right here, you know. And I'm fine thank you for asking."

"Actually, Marshal. I would like Kitty to get some rest. I tried to get her to go back to her sleeping compartment and lay down, but she wouldn't hear of it."

Matt looked at Kitty and raised an eyebrow, but before he could answer Kitty spoke up.

"I wanted to wait until you were done outside, and the train was moving again."

Just then the train lurched forward, and Matt smiled at Kitty.

TBC


	12. Epilogue

Kitty sat and looked out of the window as the train finally pulled into the Salt Lake City train depot. Matt was back in the baggage car standing guard over his prisoner, ready to turn him over to the Salt Lake City law when they arrived. It'd been a long and trying trip for both of them and Kitty was glad this leg of it was over. Of course they still had to find Matt's friend and try to help him as well as take charge of his daughter. But after the dangerous passage they'd just endured, she didn't expect this to be anywhere near that bad.

"Kitty?" Looking up, Kitty saw Phoebe making her way down the aisle. "Looks like this trip is about over."

"Um hum." Kitty nodded with a smile. "At least this part of it. And to tell you the truth, I'm very glad it is."

"I understand that." Phoebe answered. "How's your head feeling?"

"I still have a slight headache but it's not too bad." Kitty lightly rubbed the area where she'd hit her head. "I want to thank you for all your help, Phoebe." Kitty smiled up at her new friend. "And I'd like to get your address so we can stay in touch."

"Certainly," Phoebe returned the smile. "I'll write it down for you before we get off the train."

"Thank you." Kitty replied.

"Is the Marshal still with the conductor?" Phoebe asked, noticing Matt was missing.

"Uh hum." Kitty answered, afraid to nod her head for fear it'd make her headache worse. "Matt plans on turning him over to the law here when the train stops. You know, I sort of feel sorry for Thomas. What happened to his daughter was horrible, and it must have eaten him alive to know that Stephens got away with what he did to her. But… well, I still don't think it justified killing three people and trying to kill Matt and I."

"No, no, it didn't." Phoebe agreed. "But there are times that people allow their grief and anger to rule them rather than the other way around, and they lose all sense of what's right and wrong. I suspect that's what happened with Thomas."

"I guess so." Kitty sighed.

"You guess what?" Matt asked as he walked down the aisle towards them.

"Um, you lose your prisoner?" Phoebe asked when Matt reached them.

"No, Doctor." Matt answered with some amusement. "I left him cuffed and watched over by the Pinkerton man, Walters. He's agreed to help me with him so I can stay with Kitty."

Kitty looked up at him with a smile, loving that Matt wanted to take care of her, but understanding that though he'd be with her, he'd be worried the entire time about Thomas and the possibility of his getting away. "You take care of Thomas, Matt. I'll be fine."

"No." Matt shook his head. "Too much has happened already, Kitty and we're just now arriving in Salt Lake City. I'm not taking any more chances."

"Matt…"

"How about if I stay with Kitty?" Phoebe interrupted. "I'm in no hurry to reach my hotel, and I'd be glad to get a cup of coffee with Kitty while she waits for you and Mr. Walters to deal with the conductor and the police. You can join us when you're done."

Matt wanted to protest that two women together were not necessarily any safer than one, but judging by Kitty's arched brow he knew better than to give voice to that objection. "Well, alright, I guess that will be okay. Where will you two be going?"

"There's a small café just around the corner from here." Phoebe answered. "It's called Michael's. You can find us there."

Somewhat reluctantly, Matt watched the two women exit the train before he returned to the baggage car to deal with Thomas and the three murder victims.

"Marshal Dillon is very protective of you, Kitty." Phoebe observed as they walked to the café. "I could tell he didn't want to let you out of his sight."

Kitty offered a brief smile at that, but didn't reply. Kitty knew Matt was protective of her, as she was of him. And, Kitty knew that Phoebe understood she and Matt had a relationship, but the habit of saying nothing, or changing the subject when such things were said, was deeply ingrained, so Kitty said nothing as the two women approached the café and entered.

Phoebe decided not to press and the matter, and let it go as they found a table and ordered coffee. She didn't need Kitty to confirm anything in order to know it was true. Instead, Phoebe switched the topic to the weather, and giving Kitty tips on where to go shopping while she and Matt were in town.

An hour later, Matt finally made it to the café full of apologies for the length of time he was gone. Matt was visibly relieved when he saw that no harm had come to Kitty in his absence.

That was something that amused Phoebe to no end, though she said nothing about it."Is everything taken care of?" Phoebe asked instead.

"Yeah," Matt nodded. "Thomas confessed to everything, including his attempt on Kitty's life. The Sherriff wants us to come in sign affidavits as to what happened. He'll want you to do the same Dr. Stewart, along with signing off on the autopsy results. He agreed to let it go for now, and understood when I told him that I needed to get Kitty to a hotel to rest first."

"Matt," Kitty sighed. "I told you, I'm fine."

"Oh, I know that." Matt grinned. "But I still think you ought to rest. Shouldn't she, Doctor."

Phoebe didn't like being in the middle of things like this, but looking at the tiredness on Kitty's face, Phoebe had to agree with Matt. "I'm sorry, Kitty, but Marshal Dillon here is correct. You do need to rest."

"Oh, alright." Kitty shook her head, as she grabbed her reticule and stood up. "Come on, Cowboy, show me to the hotel."

After Matt and Kitty said their goodbyes to Phoebe, and exchanged promises to keep in touch, the couple finally left the café, and quickly found a livery driver to take them to their hotel.

"What about your friend, James?" Kitty asked as they settled back in the livery, headed to the hostelry.

"He was set free." Matt shook his head still amazed by what he found out. "Seems the sheriff, along with the local Marshal found the man responsible for the murder the day after we boarded the train. James sent a telegram to Dodge to let me know, and Doc had it sent to the relay station." Matt gave Kitty a knowing look. "Anyway James collected his daughter, packed their belongings and moved to a small town bordering Canada."

"I'm sorry you didn't get to see James before he left town." Kitty wrapped her arm around Matt's and laid her head on his shoulder. "You can't blame James for wanting to take his daughter away from here after all they have been through."

"Yeah." Matt shrugged and looked down at Kitty. "Right now, I want to get you to a hotel room."

Kitty looked up at him with a smirk. "Why, Marshal Dillon! Are you saying what I think you're saying?" She grinned with a twinkle in her eyes.

Matt chuckled. "Let's wait and see how you feel when we get to the hotel."

**KM**

Matt was never admitting it to Kitty, but he was glad to be in a room where he could move around without bumping into something. He placed their bags on the bench next to the wardrobe, before walking over to the bed and stretching out spread eagle across it with his hands behind his head. He was just about to close his eyes when Kitty grabbed his foot and shook it.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Matt looked at Kitty, who was standing at the foot of the bed with her hands on her hips. "I'm seeing if the bed is comfortable. What does it look like I am doing?"

Kitty arched an eyebrow. She knew that playful tone in his voice too well. "It looks to me like you are going to take a nap."

Matt closed his eyes and wiggled his body a bit to get more comfortable. He let out an audible sigh. "Aaaahhh," He wiggled around a bit more keeping his eyes closed. "You know this bed is mighty comfortable."

Kitty fought to keep the laughter out of her voice. "Is that so, Matt Dillon," she said very matter of fact.

A huge smile spread across Matt's face. "Most comfortable bed I've ever been in."

Matt felt the bed dip faintly and then Kitty's legs straddle his waist making his smile grow bigger.

Kitty carefully kept all her weight on her knees, and in the most sultry voice she possessed asked, "Even more comfortable then the bed above the Long Branch?"

Matt opened his eyes to answer her, but the sight before him took his breath away. Kitty was clad only in her silk chemise. Her hair was down and flowing over her shoulders and her eyes where sparkling with desire. Matt picked up the edge of the white silk fabric puddled at Kitty's knee and ran his fingertips back and forth over the smooth fabric. Matt finally looked up at Kitty and stared deeply into her eyes, his hands subconsciously stroking against her hips. "Kitty…I love you…with everything that I am…I love you…your heart…your trust…I don't…" He choked up and Kitty leaned over and claimed his lips in a rush of passion that left them both breathless.

Kitty reluctantly broke the kiss and placed her palms on each side of Matt's shoulders and rose above him. "Would you rather continue this way or…?"

Propping himself on his elbows, Matt stared deeply into her eyes. "Or what?"

Kitty gave Matt a saucy smile. "Well, Cowboy, I prefer you buck naked, but I'll take you with your boots on if I have to." Kitty let out a surprised yelp when Matt quickly rolled to the side, taking her with him.

It shouldn't have surprised her at how quickly he jumped off the bed and started divesting himself of his boots and clothes. She swiftly reached for the edge of her chemise, and slipped it over her head, tossing it on the floor with her other things then laying back on the pillows to watch Matt as he finished undressing. When he was completely stripped of his clothes, Kitty watched as Matt climbed into the bed on his hands and knees hovering over her. Kitty never took her eyes off him, as Matt's hands moved slowly up her legs, his fingers grazing lightly over her skin, leaving Kitty almost panting as he made his way towards her inner thighs as she slightly parted her legs for him. Her breathing changed again as Matt moved closer to her core, and she opened herself to him a little more. Kitty lay back, drowning in a rush of sensations and emotions, as she felt Matt spread her, feeling his hands on her soft inner folds.

Kitty brought her legs up a little and sought Matt's folded legs with her feet placing them on his muscular calves, using them to raise her hips in an attempt to bring their bodies in contact with one another as she opened her knees wider for him, inviting him into her inner sanctum.

"Please Matt…I need you…"

Matt couldn't deny Kitty any longer. He pressed his manhood gently against her,and then deeper and deeper until he filled her and her warmth and tightness surrounded him. Matt watched Kitty's face as he entered her, the love and deep desire for him was written there plainly for him to see.

Matt remained still a moment, savoring the feeling, knowing this moment was what their love for each other was about. He started a rocking motion slowly increasing his tempo until Matt found a rhythm which Kitty was able to match, as he felt her raise her legs around his hips. He knew first from her breathing that Kitty was getting close as she ground herself against him, and then felt her inner muscles twitching and tightening around him. With a will of iron, Matt forced himself to hang on, until Kitty was ready to come with him. He thrust deeply, almost withdrawing each time, filling Kitty to the hilt, when at last he felt her contract around him, her pupils dilating as Matt looked deep into Kitty's eyes. Kitty never broke eye contact with Matt as shecried out with pleasure, trying to raise her hips to draw Matt in deeper. Matt lost control as Kitty's muscles clamped down almost painfully on his hard shaft, his shout almost drowning out hers, as he spilled himself deeply inside her, filling her with his warmth.

"I love you, Kitty." Matt whispered to her. Tears spilled from Kitty's eyes at what she saw in Matt's eyes, the love there and the honesty of his words. She knew in that second that no other woman would ever know what she had at this very moment, that the experience was unique and she was the blessed one. Her heart and soul were his for all time.

**K &M**

Matt finished stowing his and Kitty's bags under their seat before sitting down next to Kitty. He took his hat off and placed it on his knee and looked at Kitty. "Comfortable?"

Kitty slipped her arm through his and leaned into him. "Yes. How about you, think you can handle 4 days in this passenger car?"

Matt gave Kitty a warm smile, "As long as I'm with you. How about you? Think you can handle the trip back to Dodge without all the luxury of the other train?"

Kitty snuggled closer to Matt, "I have all the luxury I need right here, Cowboy."

The End


End file.
